CHARLOTTE, N.C. – In front of a rowdy crowd on Fan Appreciation Night, the Queens University of Charlotte women's volleyball team battled hard despite falling short to Wingate 3-1. The loss dropped the Royals record to 15-12 overall and 9-8 in South Atlantic Conference play while the Bulldogs improved to 21-3 overall and 14-3 in league action. The loss is just the Royals fourth in Curry Arena this season.
 
The evening opened slowly for the Royals as the Bulldogs grabbed the first three points of the first set and opened the lead to 7-2. Wingate would remain aggressive for the entire opening set as they never trailed. In the opener, Queens hit .105 as a team with 12 kills and eight attack errors. The potent Wingate attack managed to strike .317 as a unit with 15 kills.
 
Queens began to find their rhythm early in the second set as both squads went back-and-forth. Trailing 10-8, the young Royals team rallied four consecutive points, including a pair of kills from Grace Giunta (Palm City, Fla.) to take an 11-10 lead. Wingate would stand strong and not allow Queens to extend their lead much further until the Royals mounted a 7-1 surge at the end of the set to oust the Bulldogs 25-18 and even the score. In the second, the Royals hit a team-best .297 with 13 kills and minimized their attack errors to just two. Meanwhile, Wingate only managed to hit .111 while committing nine attack errors in part to the incredible defensive effort at the net from the Royals that recorded eight block assists in the second.
 
After taking the second set convincingly, the Royals fell behind early in the third set 10-4. Head Coach Hannah Long managed to settle her young core down and they responded with six consecutive points to even the score 10-10. The veteran Wingate squad would answer with their own 6-2 run and regain their commanding lead. The deficit proved to be enough as the Bulldogs grabbed the third set 25-20 despite a late 5-2 rally from the Royals. In the third, Queens hit .067 with seven attack errors and Wingate hit .261 with 16 kills.
 
The final set of the evening saw Queens find their groove early jumping ahead 9-3. The Royals fans were energized and pushing the team hoping to see a fifth set. The experienced Bulldogs group would chip away at the lead with small rallies before grabbing five straight and retaking the lead 16-14. Both teams would exchange short runs until Wingate closed on a 5-2 rally and secured the match victory.
 
The Royals were led offensively by Alleigh Johnson (Winterville, N.C.) who recorded a career-high 14 kills and 15.5 points on .321 hitting percentage. Grace Giunta would finish with 11 kills and Lindsay Elmore (Salisbury, N.C.) added eight kills and a .333 attack percentage. Brooke Farley (Fort Mill, S.C.) notched 39 assists as the senior helped set up her attackers. On defense, Queens was led by Kayla McDuffie (Winterville, N.C.) recording six block assists as the Royals totaled 16. Jordyn Johnson (Jamestown, N.C.) and Jesse George (Virginia Beach, Va.) would help slow the Bulldogs attack with 20 and 19 digs, respectively. For Wingate, Sophie Schaff led the attack with 17 kills and a .469 hitting percentage while Molly Lambillotte notched a double-double with 15 kills and 16 digs.
 
The Royals will conclude the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 2:00 p.m. when they host the Coker Cobras. Prior to the match, Queens will honor their senior class with a ceremony on the court. Students, the season long Apple Watch Giveaway will wrap up on Saturday as a winner will be announced at the conclusion of the second set. You must be present to claim your prize. Be sure to follow the Royals on Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date on all game updates and news. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on social media @QueensAthletics to stay updated on all of the Royals sports.